A Wink and a Smile & the Land is Ours

Chapter 5

  I was running late for school, again. For a straight-A student, my lack of dedication to school was uncanny. I had an exam in chemistry first period and despite being up all night studying, I had still forgotten to set my morning alarm. I glanced at my self in the mirror, debating on whether or not I actually had to shower this morning. My elbow-length brown hair was lying limp on my head and I'm pretty sure I had some drool on the side of my mouth. Yep, a shower is definitely a must today.

   After getting out of the shower, I absent-mindedly threw on an oversized T-shirt and some underwear then headed out of the bathroom door. My stomach let out a loud grumble and I decided to make a B-line down stairs for breakfast. There was no one home, so I could just get dressed for school later. Mikhail and Celia both started their jobs and it was Julia's day off, so it was no big deal if I walked around the house half naked. Remembering my lack of time, I bolted down the stairs tripping on the last one. I let out a scream of surprise as I fell into something. I found my self face first with Mikhail's chest.

"Jesus! Are you ok?" Mikhail questioned in surprise. I tried to regain my balance and push my self away from him, but failed miserably. He steadied me and took a step back, looking at me like I had just grown a second head.

 It's not everyday a scantily clad teenager comes barreling at you and gives you a full on football tackle.

"What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at work!" I sputtered.

"I start the internship tomorrow." He corrected slowly, still looking at me like I was a nun in a strip club.

"Oh." I let out a nervous laugh and pulled at my shirt, wishing in covered a bit more of my thighs.

Mikhail glanced down at my attire and let out a laugh. "Not expecting company?"

"Something like that." I muttered as I pushed past him to the kitchen. Franticly, I looked through our fridge, trying to find something to eat. Having no luck, I ran over to our pantry to search there. As snobby as it sounded, Julia would normally make my meals for me. We had a multitude of food in the house, I just didn't know how to cook any of it.

"Eliza, calm down!" Mikhail called out, noticing my panicky behavior.

"I'm late for school and I have an exam in Chemistry! I need to be there!" I sputtered.

"What time does your school start?" He asked calmly.

"Eight thirty." I said as I glanced at the clock and winced. It was already nine.

"It will be fine, I can call in and say you wont be able to make it." He said assuring.

I weighed my options. I wouldn't be at school until nine thirty, giving me only half an hour to write the test. My parents donated a hefty amount of money to the school annually, so the principle is fairly lenient when it comes to me skipping class. I'm sure my teacher would let me write the test after school.

"I guess that would be fine." I trailed off.

"Of course it will! Besides, I always say; if you're going to be late for class, might as well be really late and get some breakfast and have some fun!"

"Ok then tell me, old wise one, what should I have for breakfast then?" I mocked.

"Well, I do make some mean blueberry pancakes." He said.

"Yes please!" I exclaimed. As much as the guy annoyed me, pancakes sounded really good right now.

"Someone's eager!" he laughed out as he started grabbing some ingredients from the fridge. He turned on the stove and placed a pan on top. I hoped up on the counter opposite to the one he was working at, sitting down to watch him cook.